DEI Sharing Stories Series – Helen Ortiz Turley

1) Can you share a bit about yourself and your connection to your Hispanic Heritage?

I am originally from Guatemala. I came to America at age 17 crossing the border on "La Bestia" which is the train where many immigrants from South and Central America and other countries ride with a bag full of dreams trying to get to the country of opportunities. My mother still lives in the small town of Bananera located 125 miles from Guatemala City. I have three children: Dennis, 39 born in Guatemala now an American Citizen, Christian, 36 and Samantha, 30 both born in America.

 2) What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you?

I see it as an opportunity to embrace our culture and share our achievements and uniqueness with others.  

3) How has working as a Hispanic/Latina female shaped who you are today? 

 It has certainly made me a strong person because I've had to overcome many challenges. For one, making the journey to the U.S. as a young Latina teen meant leaving everything that I knew, including my son, to pursue what most of us come here for and that is the American dream. Coming from third world poverty in a Latin country, makes you appreciate and go after the opportunities that America has to offer. Going through the process of getting an amnesty which evenly led to becoming a naturalized citizen. This makes me extremely proud of calling myself a Latin American! It is a rite of passage that all of us immigrant Latinos have to go through and that is never easy. 

4) What brings you joy about your work?

Having the opportunity to serve others in my community by partnering with them, whether it is buying their first home or any business venture. The joy comes from being part of their success and helping them reach their goals and dreams.  

 5)  How have you seen the workplace change in terms of offering support and community for the Hispanic community?

Although it continues to be a challenge for Latino owned businesses to participate in certain projects, I feel that we continue to improve as we support each other to help overcome those challenges. I have always felt that being Latina and bilingual has been an opportunity and a strength in any industry I have been in. The fact that more Latinos are getting involved in more roles in all different industries is definitely changing the workforce. We are showing up in places we didn't before and therefore the support in our community is growing stronger every day.

6) What inspired you to work in your field?

I landed in this field by fate, but what has kept me here and keeps me going is the need of our community. The big problem with Hispanic often times is the lack of information and I'm glad to be here educating, helping and building trust while serving others. Also, many of us are beginning to understand that the American dream is not only consistent with working hard for our money but putting our money to work hard for us. Being in this field, I've been able to work with members of our community to acquire investments that eventually help them step back from working endlessly.

 7)  How have you paved the way in real estate and how have you paid that forward to other women in the industry?

Although the commercial real estate industry appears to be male dominated, I feel I have embraced the opportunity to distinguish myself and prove that I can contribute and be an asset to my business partners. All of my partners are minorities and together we speak seven different languages allowing us to serve multiple communities and have an advantage in the industry. It has taken a lot of resilience and consistency to remain relevant in this business. The biggest barrier to entry in this industry is lack of information, and lack of people willing to teach you and guide you. I want to be a trail blazer and show other Latino women what is possible!

8)   Do you have a favorite success story to share?

I have had the opportunity to review and assist with many business leases. One in particular stands out. Due to a language barrier, the business owner couldn't fully understand the lease. After reviewing and assisting with the negotiations, I was able to save him $500,000. This allowed him to operate a successful business. Since then, I was able to assist in finding a new location and opening an additional successful business. It is hard to choose just one! Another opportunity I had was to secure a lease for a local business owner to reopen a neighborhood grocery store that had closed, and it was needed. I was also able to gain assistance and cooperation from the mayor’s office to assist us in funding the project for KCMO.